Crimson Desert is a game with a plethora of different features, but is multiplayer one of them?
Crimson Desert has skyrocketed in popularity since its release in mid-March, selling over three million copies and seeing hundreds of thousands of concurrent players at all times of the day. This comes as no surprise to most players who have taken the leap into Crimson Desert, as the game is utterly massive with hundreds of hours of content to consume. However, one feature that Crimson Desert seemingly lacks is multiplayer, and fans want to know if it’s possible to play with their friends in any capacity.
Is there multiplayer in Crimson Desert?
Unfortunately, at the time of writing, there is no multiplayer functionality available in Crimson Desert. You’re unable to play the game in co-op with a friend, and there’s no dedicated multiplayer playlist, as the game is strictly single-player. There are also no side multiplayer elements, like you find in Elden Ring, so you can’t even call upon a friend to help you with a challenging boss.
While this will remain the case for now, fans hopeful for multiplayer shouldn’t give up on the idea completely. Before launch, developers at Pearl Abyss commented about eventually bringing some kind of multiplayer to Crimson Desert, depending on demand for it in the community.
Of course, we’re not sure where the developers stand on the matter now that Crimson Desert has launched, and it would likely be months before we hear about any kind of update on the subject. If multiplayer does eventually come to Crimson Desert in some capacity, it would likely roll out as a form of DLC that would be packaged with some kind of other content, such as an expansion.
So, while we know the developers would eventually like to bring multiplayer to the land of Pywel, we just don’t know a realistic timeline for when it could happen. However, if you’re on PC, then modders might be able to develop a mod that allows you to play co-op multiplayer with a friend in the future.
We’ll have to wait and see what the developers and the community can come up with on the multiplayer front.